Richard Russell, Leslie Gaiter, Parker Leathers and Christopher Brown, four deputies with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department have returned to duty since they were placed on leave after their roles in an arrest following a traffic stop in Augusta, Georgia, left a Black man dead.
Jermaine Jones lingered in a coma at Augusta University Medical Center for nearly a week before his death this month after suffering severe brain injuries as he was taken into custody on Oct. 11.
Four deputies return to work (Screenshot WRDW)
Investigator Russell and deputies Leathers, Gaiter, and Brown were placed on paid administrative leave while the Richmond County Coroner’s Office investigates the series of events that took place after deputies stopped the black SUV that the 24-year-old had been riding in on the day of the incident.
WRDW reported that the sheriff’s agency said Brown saw the vehicle and approached it because of a tinted license plate cover. Soon afterward, more deputies arrived on the scene, including Leathers, Russell, and Gaiter, who was recently involved in another use-of-force-related incident.
Jones’ uncle had been driving and allowed the officers to search the vehicle, during which a police dog found a 9mm Glock 26 handgun and crack pipe in the back seat where Jones had been sitting.
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